Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies received at the meeting.

To receive any declarations of interest. Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest advice attached to this Agenda. If a Member declares an interest, they should complete the Declaration of Interest Form

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the summary of recommendations and decisions of the Cabinet meeting held on 26 September 2024, copy attached.

Councillor Everitt proposed, Councillor Keen seconded and Members agreed the minutes as a correct record of the meeting held on 26 September 2024.

Cabinet considered the report that was part of the delivery of the Thanet Simplification Pathfinder Pilot programme. This report was part of the formal process required in delivery of the programme. The report related to four of the Ramsgate schemes and was a key decision due to the contract value which was over £250,000.

The projects identified in the report had already had approval for their selection in the Future High Street Fund and Levelling Up Fund Bids, and were prioritised as part of the Simplification Pathfinder Pilot investment Plan for delivery by the Council. This was at the right stage in the development of these schemes to procure the contractors for these Ramsgate projects. The project team worked up the procurement strategy, engaged with the market and discussed the procurement strategy at the relevant internal project meetings.

This report did not outline detail about the individual projects as there were links to previous reports that members could refer to and the detail had been presented at various engagement events. Further engagement events would happen where required in each of the projects; most notably with the Pier Yard and Highways interventions. It was proposed that the Cabinet authorise the procurement and award of contracts for a number of procurements for projects in the Simplification Pathfinder Project through the SCAPE Framework. These include:

1.  Ramsgate Clock House - works contract;

2.  Ramsgate Pier Yard - works contract;

3.  Ramsgate Highways Works - works contract and;

4.  Ramsgate Green Campus - works contract.

Cabinet have also been asked by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday 15 October to ensure that the final designs for the Highways and Pier Yard Scheme in Ramsgate will be presented to councillors for information through a councillor briefing before a final decision is made. Officers committed at the meeting over Overview and Scrutiny to host a councillors briefing.

Councillor Rogers spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor Duckworth proposed, Councillor Keen seconded and Cabinet greed the following:

1. To authorise the procurement and award of contracts for a number of procurements for projects in the Simplification Pathfinder Project through the SCAPE Framework. These are as follows:

a.  Ramsgate Clock House - works contract;

b.  Ramsgate Pier Yard - works contract;

c.  Ramsgate Highways Works - works contract;

d.  Ramsgate Green Campus - works contract.

Cabinet discussed proposals for the Margate Town Deal Coastal Wellbeing intervention project to deliver a Skatepark in Cliftonville West that included the construction of the skatepark, toilet(s) and a kiosk facility to support driving an income to help with the costs of managing and maintaining the skatepark. The proposal had always been for the skatepark to be free to access and open to all, allowing the opportunity to engage people of all ages in skateboarding.

This report enabled the Council to move forward with delivery of the Skatepark project proposing an update to the management, maintenance and repair responsibilities for the skatepark, the facilitation of the development of a kiosk, and the reallocation of funding in order to deliver improved public realm health and safety requirements. Cabinet had already provided approval through a key decision for the procurement of the contractor to deliver the scheme. The approvals within this Cabinet report would allow the project management team to finalise the delivery plan for the Skatepark and move towards its procurement.

Cabinet was asked to:

1. Agree to amend its decision of 22 February 2022 when it decided the Skatepark should be leased to a third party, and agree to retain ownership of the site - with the management, maintenance and repair remaining within the council’s responsibility;
2. Provide approval that the income gained through the kiosk is ring fenced to a sinking fund for the management, maintenance and repairs of the skatepark;
3. Support further engagement from the Head of Regeneration and Growth and the Head of Coast and Public Realm with the Margate Skatepark project sponsors, to ensure the use of the skatepark for social cohesion and engagement activities in skateboarding and community participation.
4. Note that moving funding between themes and projects up to a value of £5,000,000 is permissible under the Simplification Pathfinder Project;
5. Provide approval to the reallocation of £350,000 from the revised Active Movement and Connections theme to the Coastal Wellbeing Intervention.

The Active Movement and Connections intervention included funding for the public realm, which is being utilised specifically for this project to help safeguard the public spaces with an increase in users. This was a great scheme as part of the Town Deal interventions, specifically supporting engagement with Thanet’s younger communities with a focus on health and wellbeing.

Councillor Bambridge spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor Duckworth proposed, Councillor K. Bright seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1.  To amend its decision of 22 February 2022 when it decided the Skatepark should be leased to a third party, and agree to retain ownership of the site - with the management, maintenance and repair remaining within the councils responsibility;

2.  That the income gained through the kiosk is ring fenced to a sinking fund for the management, maintenance and repairs of the skatepark;

3.  To support further engagement from the Head of Regeneration and Growth and the Head of Coast and Public Realm with the Margate Skatepark project sponsors, to ensure the use of the skatepark for social  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

Cabinet considered proposals for the procurement and award of a contract for the supply of fuel at the Ramsgate Royal Harbour. The estimated value of the contract will be £140k per year over a 7 year contract. This was 4 years with the potential for a further 3 year extension. This made the total estimated contract value of £980,000. Ramsgate Royal Harbour owned its own fuel barge to which it can supply customers with three types of fuel; Red FAME free Gasoil, White Gasoil and Unleaded petrol.

In order to maintain the supply Ramsgate Royal Harbour required a fuel contractor that can supply the above fuel at a reasonable rate within an appropriate timescale when requested. Without the supply of fuel many of the harbour customers and visiting craft would not be able to use their boats and would therefore have to berth at different marinas. This would see a massive loss of income for the harbour.

Councillor Everitt proposed, Councillor Albon seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1. The key decision to award a contract with a value in excess of £250k and thought to be approximately £980,000 over a 7 years period, to supply fuel at the Ramsgate Royal Harbour, following a procurement exercise;

2.  That the Director of Environment, having sought advice from legal services, agree the final terms of any contract award and sign the contract with the successful bidder.

Cabinet discussed proposals for the Council to progress with the acquisition of the land at Eaton Road, Margate from Southern Housing for £600,000 and that the Council agreed to pay 50% of the demolition costs to Southern Housing, up to a maximum of £300,000. This would ensure joint management of the demolition process and that the Council appoint a project design team to RIBA Stage 3/4 (planning Permission/detailed design), in order to provide a fully designed and costed scheme to allow the tendering of a main contractor to deliver the works. A follow-up report would be submitted to Cabinet for approval once full scheme costs and funding were known to officers and the appointment of the main contractor to deliver the works was required. From an external perspective, what was done by the Housing department could sometimes seem fairly obvious; however it was important to state that the Council had to either build or find homes at low prices, in order to provide them at low rental prices for those who need them.

As evidenced by the Council's previous rate of growth and acquisition as compared to its growth rate now, this was quite a difficult task to achieve. In order to perform at its best for residents, the Council had to be creative, observant and, on occasion, brave in terms of the scale of projects it took on. Around 18 months ago, Cabinet became aware of problems related to the two blocks on Eaton Place, as residents had been formally notified of issues in the structure of the building, and it seemed likely at that point that they were significant issues.

The Council was now aware that the exposure that the structure of the buildings faced when the company first constructing them went into administration destabilised the internal structure, leading to movement, and latterly, the buildings being considered unsafe and in need of demolition. As one block contained affordable housing, and one block private rent, this caused further challenges for residents, as this meant that legally each form of tenancy offered different protections for residents; making clear the need for genuinely affordable and secure housing to be provided wherever possible in Thanet. The site currently had 78 units split into 2 blocks - 36 units were Social Rent and 42 were at Market Rent.

Work was continuing to support Southern Housing tenants and decant both blocks. Southern Housing have rehoused tenants on affordable tenancies in other Southern Housing units, and other Housing Association units. The Council had currently rehoused 2 households. It was important to be clear that the council would not exchange contracts with residents still on site, as its first priority was ensuring that those in need of accommodation were supported, and the contract would ensure that this was fulfilled. There were currently 7 households still on site, with open support from both Southern Housing and Thanet District Council (TDC). The Cabinet Member for Housing had spoken to several of the affected residents from both blocks. Further  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

Cabinet discussed a report that informed members of the progress made against the decision it took on Thursday 14 December 2023to invest £1.25m in public toilets across the district. The report confirmed that all revenue works at the 7 sites proposed in the original report have been completed at a lower cost than anticipated. The budget for these revenue works was £279,000 and the total spend was £186,000. A further 2 sites, Botany Bay public toilets in Broadstairs and Buenos Ayres public toilets in Margate received repairs in addition to the 7 sites and were included in the £186,000 spend.

This left £93,000 of unspent revenue funds that could be reallocated for further public toilets revenue repairs projects. The highest number of red defects left to undertake, those which were the most urgent to complete, were located at Minnis Bay public toilets in Birchington and Victoria Gardens public toilets in Broadstairs. It was therefore proposed to undertake revenue repairs at these locations, as detailed in Appendix 1, using the unspent budget.

The Council also made available a budget of £971k of capital funding towards new build accessible toilets. Cabinet reports had been presented on Thursday 26 September 2024 that ensured officers had permission to undertake the procurement and award of a contract for the capital works to refurbish and build new toilets at Margate Subterranean toilets and Stone Bay, Broadstairs. The Cabinet report in 2023 also factored in £250k of additional external funding from Southern Water. This external funding was earmarked for a new build accessible toilet at Botany Bay, as well as refurbishment of the existing toilets. However, Southern Water had retained this funding and were undertaking this project internally, with support from the Council’s Coast and Engineering team.

In summary works had been undertaken at 9 locations, with further work currently planned at 4 locations based on allocated budgets. Works had been costed at a further 12 toilets and undertaking these improvement works would be subject to future funding being identified within the 2025/26 budget setting process. It was recommended that Cabinet approve that £93k of the original £279k revenue repairs budget be reallocated to the following public toilets as all revenue repair works agreed at Cabinet on Thursday 14 December 2023 have been completed:

• Minnis Bay, Birchington (£50k)
• Victoria Gardens, Broadstairs (£43k)

Councillor Dawson spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor Albon proposed, Councillor Bright seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1. To approve that £93k of the original £279k revenue repairs budget be reallocated to the following public toilets as all revenue repair works agreed at Cabinet on Thursday 14 December 2023 have been completed:

a.  Minnis Bay, Birchington (£50k);

b.  Victoria Gardens, Broadstairs (£43k).

Cabinet considered the new Acquisition and Disposal Policy, which had been developed to provide a clear framework for identifying and managing surplus property assets. This policy was extremely important as it aligned property disposals with the Council’s broader financial, operational, and strategic goals, ensuring that capital receipts were reinvested effectively as part of our overall capital strategy and asset management planning.

The policy acted as a reference document which housed various commercial property principles such as achieving Best Value under Section 123 Local Government Act 1972. This policy details various disposal methods, disposals to special purchasers, disposal and planning permission, principles behind the release or variation of land covenants, public open space and common land considerations. It also included land exchanges, easements and wayleaves, general principles for acquisitions and an entire array of other general issues.

Councillor Duckworth proposed, Councillor Keen seconded and Cabinet approved the implementation of the new Acquisition and Disposal policy.

Cabinet discussed proposals for the procurement and award of a contract to undertake essential improvements to the concrete roof structure and installation of a hand railing to the upper walkway at the Margate Harbour Arm, Stone Pier, located at Margate. The estimated value of the contract would be circa £320k. The Margate Harbour Arm was both an important historic structure being Grade 2 Listed structure and the home of a number of different businesses.

The Council was currently responsible for all external and structural repairs and maintenance. The building’s exposure to the harsh environment in its location had increased the weathering effects to the structure. Without this crucial maintenance of the roof structures, the building would in the near future become difficult to let out leading to a loss of income for the Council. In relation to the hand railings, there was currently a risk to the public, who may gain unauthorised access to the roof area during busy periods. This posed a risk in regards to both the loading to the structure and the risk to the person of falling off as there was no edge protection. A capital budget of £320k was approved to be funded from the Property Enhancement Fund for the financial year 24/25.

Councillor Duckworth proposed, Councillor Keen seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1. The key decision to award a contract with a value in excess of £250k to undertake essential roof improvements to the building structures and the installation of handrails to the upper walkway of the Harbour Arm, Stone Pier, following a procurement exercise;

2.  That the Director of Place shall negotiate the final terms and sign the contract with the successful bidder.

Cabinet discussed proposals for the planned purchase of six new 7.5 tonne Caged Tipper vehicles. These vehicles form part of the rolling vehicle replacement programme and were required to replace equivalent vehicles which had reached the end of their planned working life. In line with the Council’s Net Zero Strategy, the intention was to investigate the possibility of all of the vehicles being electric powered, however a combination of factors meant that a full electric cage fleet was not possible These factors were:

• A very narrow market for EV versions of these vehicles - after extensive research only two suitable vehicles were found with the required range;
• Cost - the capital cost of purchasing these vehicles is more than twice that of a diesel powered one;
• Lack of infrastructure - the power supply into the depot is currently insufficient to serve the required high capacity chargers;
• Actual range - whilst the manufacturers claim that the vehicles in question have the required range, this is yet to be tested on a real working day in Thanet.

With these considerations in mind it was decided to recommend purchasing two electric powered tipper vehicles and four 7.5 tonne combustion engined diesel vehicles via a compliant procurement route using funding allocated for that purpose in the 2024/25 vehicle replacement programme. Annex 1 to the report provided more detail on the vehicle research undertaken and how the required vehicle range was assessed.

While the electric vehicles would cost more than the £80,000 per vehicle allocated in the rolling vehicle replacement programme, the diesel versions were expected to be less than the provision. However some reprofiling of funds would be necessary, from £480k to £590k in total subject to Cabinet’s approval of the recommendations in the report. That reprofiling of funding could be managed within the existing approved 2024/25 budget. Therefore no extra funding would  be required.

The Council had started the process of assessing how best to increase the capacity of the power supply to the depot, assessing solutions for the short/medium/long term and how this could be incorporated into the developments at Manston Road. Separately from the proposed vehicle purchases we have recently been investigating the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) which is a bio-based fuel which is a low carbon alternative to standard white diesel. Due to the way it is produced this type of diesel reduces emissions by up to 90%, in comparison to standard diesel.

The price of HVO had come down steadily over the last 18 months to the point where the difference between it and standard diesel was now around 15%. It was fully mixable with normal white diesel and all manufacturers had confirmed the support for its use and would not affect the warranties. Annex 2 of the report provided more detail on this work and a proposed trial using selected vehicles from the existing fleet.

Councillor Dawson spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor Albon proposed, Councillor Duckworth seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1. To approve  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.